the fire crackles softly. david rubs tiredly at his eyes.
he can hear his wife down the hall. she's putting their son to sleep, just as she always does. he can hear their son wailing in his bedroom. david sighs, looks down at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. he taps his pen against his lips, releases a soft exhale. he listens to the soft rain pattering outside. it's supposed to snow soon.
he can't stop thinking about her. about her eyes. about her lips. about the noises she makes when she's under him. he feels guilty. he hates himself for it.
"david." her voice is soft. it draws him from his thoughts, brings his gaze over to meet hers. she's standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her stomach. "are you coming to bed?" david's eyes flicker up to the clock on the wall. he sucks in a breath at the time that glares back at him. 12:45.
"yeah," he says, after a beat of silence. his wife's eyes stare into his. he's distant. she can feel it. he watches as she swallows the lump in her throat. "give me a minute. jus' need to finish up." she nods her head, turns and trudges up the stairs to their bedroom. david remains in his seat, eyes settled on the window across from him.
he wonders if she knows. she must. it's clear that they aren't in love anymore. she must know at least that. he wonders if she knows he's in love with someone else. he hates to think about it. hates to do that to his wife.
he's thinking about her eyes as he piles up his paperwork and shoves it into one of the drawers on his desk. big, brown eyes that have him weak at the knees. he wishes he could call her right now. hear her voice, hear her say his name, the way her accent drips off her words. he swallows. david closes the drawer, stands up and makes his way upstairs.
his movements are almost mechanical as he gets ready for bed. brushes his teeth, combs out his hair with his fingers, washes his face off. david pats his skin off with a towel, hanging it up afterwards. he flickers the lights off and walks into the bedroom. the lights are off and his wife is already in bed. "david," his wife says as he sits down on the mattress, taking his watch off to set it on the nightstand. "i'm going to brunch tomorrow with my sister. camille said she'd come over to watch eddie."
camille. even just the mention of her name has his blood rushing. he hasn't seen her in weeks. he feels guilty for being so excited. "alright," david replies, pulling the heavy comforter over his legs. "give amanda my best."
his wife scoffs, a dry laugh leaving her mouth. "'m sure that'll mean a lot to her, david."
the conversation ends there. david rests his head against his pillow and tries to sleep but finds himself coming up empty, brain too full of thoughts. he wonders how he got here, sleeping in a bed with a woman he used to love so deeply. he wonders where it all went wrong. he thinks he still loves her. he probably always will. they've been together since college. she's stuck with him through everything. she gave him their son.
sleep doesn't come easily that night. david can't help but be excited when he wakes up, his wife's voice echoing throughout the entire house. he's not sure who she's talking to until he hears camille's voice, breath caught in his throat. excitement flows through his veins, his movements hurried as he stands and walks to the closet.
he gets dressed quickly, buttoning up only the last few buttons of his shirt as he tugs black trousers up his legs, searching for a pair of shoes. he tries to listen to their conversation, only catching bits and pieces. it's not long before he's walking downstairs, tie in his hand. "speak of the devil," his wife says with a smile as david appears at the bottom of the staircase. camille looks as pretty as ever, blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, little wisps framing her face. she looks soft and delicate and david wants to absolutely wreck her, an innocent smile on her lips. "thank you for coming over so last minute. david'll pay you extra, hon."
